Creatures of the night
by Akano Akira
Summary: When the balance of light and dark is threatened, it is the gatekeeper's job to right it. That is exactly what gatekeeper in training, Uzumaki Naruto, plans to do and no one can stop him. Not even his raven. Sasunaru.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: **Creatures of the night

**Disclaimer: **all characters are not mine.

**Warning: vampires and demons. **Don't like them then don't read this story.

**Author's note: **I have a craving for vampire stories these days and the vampire books in the bookstores and library are not enough for me. So I thought of creating my own. Enjoy! Heheh~XD

Everything is not what it seems in Crescent boarding school. With its high rise school building and its cool facilities, and the saying that it's a prestigious school, people never suspect a thing. What all the normal people fail to notice is the lack of lights in that particular school and the weird movements happening all around campus. The modernized and professional outlook of the building leave the admirers stunned and distracted by its beauty that the strange occupants of the school is camouflaged. Vampires. That's what lies behind those four walls of Crescent boarding school. The flitting movement creates shadows of some kind with colors outlining their silhouettes.

Among these vampires is a young fledging that fails to fit in with all of the others. Uzumaki Naruto is an anomaly even for a vampire. Bright, blond hair that spikes up all over the place frames a small face. Brilliant, azure blue eyes hide nothing and the most prominent feature of all is the three whisker scars that adorned each of his chubby cheeks. A sharp nose and full lips completes his perfect face. If you think he's just a pretty face then you have much to learn about checking out someone. Standing at an average 166cm-not too tall and not too short-makes him a lovable partner of just the right height to cuddle up to. Even, tan skin pulled taut over muscled arms and legs. His muscles are not the typical body-builder-type muscles but if he flexes, you can see the obvious hardness beneath the taut, tan skin. No need for imagination to see what's under his clothes. With perfect features that people would kill to have, you would think that Naruto is popular, that other vampires would bow down before him, worship him even. This is not the case and it's obvious with the way other vampires look to him with much scorn. Uzumaki Naruto life's a living hell.

Uzumaki Naruto is not just any vampire. He's a hybrid between a vampire and a demon-a fox demon to be exact. Having powers from both species makes him invincible. The speed and agility that fledglings will learn to control as they gain knowledge and experience, keen senses that helps him stay inconspicuous and alerted to his prey, incredible power that comes from being a descendent of both vampire and demon, and gifted with the most unlikely talent ever-the ability to see the unseen. This ability of his does not refer to him being able to see ghosts. Nope no matter how hard anybody tries you can never see one. Unless you have a third eye, you can only sense its presence and nothing more. Naruto's ability refers to seeing routes that lead him to the shadow realm also known as his home. This route he sees helps him find his way back to where vampires come from-the darkness.

All vampires are said to be evil creatures of the night because they choose darkness over light. What people don't know is that vampires are sensitive to light. If they are exposed to light for too long, they get rashes and sunburns. They don't combust into flames. They don't despise light like what they say in most vampire myths. They just feel much more comfortable in the dark because it doesn't irritate their skin. Many of the saying in vampire books are myths. Vampires do not like garlic because of its pungent smell and it irritates their eyes. Hey garlic even irritates our eyes! Wooden stakes and crosses do not frighten them. What's there to be afraid of if they like the light too? They understand that light is the source of life for many living things on earth. Just like darkness is their source of life in their shadow realm. The myth about vampires sleeping in coffins is laughable because hello- they are living and breathing just like humans are. This makes them mortal too. They just don't die as easily as us because of their heightened senses and their unique ability that alerts them of danger much faster then ours does. All in all they are just supernatural humans. There's nothing crazy or scary about them.

However what sets Naruto apart from the typical supernatural humans is the ability to see this hidden route. Like I said earlier, all vampires come from the shadow realm. They just don't return there because they can never find their way back. This has something to do with the balance of light and dark. When the balance of light and dark is disturbed, all hell breaks loose. Literally. To prevent this hell from enveloping earth, a gatekeeper is given the duty to guard the key to this shadow realm. The key is the ability to see the hidden route. Every twelve years a new gatekeeper is elected.

Being an orphan from birth, Naruto wasn't taught the ways of the vampires. Heck he didn't even know he's a vampire until he received a letter for him to attend the prestigious Crescent boarding school. That's where everything fit in. all the puzzle pieces came together when he started schooling there. All the strange things that happened to him while growing up are due to the fact that he's a vampire. A human never needed to be in the dark most of the time. A human can never run as fast as Naruto did. A human can never see, hear, smell, feel things as sharply as Naruto did. He knew he was different but to be that different, is really an eye-opener. So all went well when school began for him…until he found out about his blood type and the strange lane he keeps seeing in the dark.

The day he found out about his demon blood, all the vampires became wary of him. Demons and vampires were known to have a very strained relationship. No vampire trusted the demons and likewise for the demons. To maintain the balance of light and dark, a truce was made but that does not mean they are friends. They just respect the others territorial rights and keep out of each others way. Naruto became an outcast because of his "bad blood". Fledglings that he once called friends abandoned him but he was never truly alone. Iruka, one of his trusted teachers became a sort of father figure to him. Anything that he needs help with, Iruka will be there. He is the only one that knows about his ability to see the hidden routes. Iruka became protective of him when he shared this information and after many months of pestering, he knew why. This is a sign of the makings of a gatekeeper. One day, he will be shipped off to gatekeeper school that will train him and many other gatekeeper fledglings the ways of balancing light and dark.

He can't wait till he became of age to inherit all the cool powers a gatekeeper will have. That will also be the day he leaves this wretched boarding school that made his life a living hell. Counting down the days till he turned sixteen, Naruto made sure he at least survived to see the day he gained freedom.

He knew the only way he can live is if he stays out of trouble and that is to be a good boy and take his torture like a man! He knew with just a flick of his finger the bullies can be dealt with, what with him being the most powerful fledgling in history! Okay I am exaggerating but still the point is that Naruto never fights back. He can deal with his bullies in other ways-playing pranks on them. This is the only thing he never shared with Iruka. He knew Iruka will never be there always to take care of him. He appreciated all the care the man had shown towards him and he didn't want the man to worry anymore about his life in school. Naruto thought of the irony of being in the same school as his most trusted person and still Iruka didn't have a clue about his social life. Does he not know about the rumors about him the school is spreading? Seriously! How Iruka became a teacher is a mystery in itself.

One thing that he benefitted from being bullied is that he always gets information. That is how he managed to find the identity of his parents. From the information given from the goodness of his tormentors' hearts, he managed to find leads to the whereabouts of his parents. Many fledglings in the school are rich and their families are well-known. This allows them access to many files in the school with classified information. With information such as these, who is Naruto to leave them be?

With many months of being bullied, Naruto finally got the full picture of his information and he knew his mother was the demon and his father was a vampire. Looking through his files, he saw a man with the exact same features as himself. Now demons are not ugly, mean creatures. They look exactly like us. The difference is that they have split personalities. When they lose control of their anger, they turn violent and hateful. They have abilities too and that's why they live longer than the average humans. They are more alike to the vampires than they want to be.

The same shade of blue stared right back at Naruto. The same features as himself. The only difference is that the whisker scars is fainter. Looking to the man's right, he spotted the most gorgeous woman ever-his mother. Fiery red hair flow down along her shoulders and piercing green eyes that look to be searching his soul. Fair skin and a curvaceous body would turn any fearful vampire into a harmless kitten. However the thing that makes her more human-like is the gentle smile that has plastered itself on her beautiful small, feminine face. She makes Mona Lisa's smile look like a grimace. All in all they were a match made in heaven and now Naruto knows the origins of his perfect self. He had his parents taste in partners to thank for his perfect and godlike appearance. Now with only a few more months to the day he can leave, he can finally say he can leave hell with a sense of achievement. All he has to do now is wait, for freedom to come.

**Author's note:** so what do you think about my start to my first ever vampire story? All you have to do is click the little green button at the bottom of the screen to tell me. Thank you~XD


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: Creatures of the night.**

**Disclaimer: characters are not mine. **

_19 November, graduation day._

"Uzumaki Naruto." Applause that was so loud a moment ago became silent as a graveyard as this fledgling made his way confidently to the principal. He took his diploma and got off the stage walking in the direction of his dorm room. He wasn't expecting anybody to be happy for him that he is graduating but still it hurt deep inside him to know that nobody cared for him. In the distance he could hear the applause again and he fought back tears in his eyes.

Entering his room, he placed his diploma into his suitcase that he had finished packing a night before for his move to the gatekeepers' academy. Iruka had come to his room a week ago saying that he was expected to be at the academy once he graduated. The brunette had helped Naruto pack his belongings and wished him luck for his trip and the year ahead. Iruka was the only one who cared for him like a son and would do anything in his power to ensure he was happy.

Lying down on his empty bed, he looked up at the ceiling and waited for said brunette to come pick him and send him to the airport. He really hoped he would arrive soon because he couldn't stand to be in this hell hole any longer. Sighing, he rolled over on his stomach and retrieved his iphone from his day pack and scrolled through it till he found his msn icon. He signed online and looked trough his contacts feeling delighted when 'black-raven' (3 guesses who) was lighted up. He never had any friends in his school for obvious reasons but he had so many troubles he needed something to help him get rid of it. He couldn't tell Iruka, again for obvious reasons, so he turned to the next best thing- an anonymous friend he can meet online.

He had chanced upon black-raven's friend request and seeing no harm in befriending him, he immediately accepted. Both of them had hit it off right on their first chat. Both of them had shared similar torment since birth and so they could sympathized with each other. Naruto found he trusted the raven enough to tell him his troubles at school and the raven would always be there to give a listening ear and comfort...even if the comfort came in the form of more insults that weren't so hurtful. In turn the raven had shared his past just as Naruto had and the latter would give _much more tactical _comfort and support. Their friendship only grew as the years passed and even if they were only cyber friends, they felt their bond extended beyond that limit. They got to know each other more and names were exchanged.

'ramen-eating-kitsune' clicked on the raven's contact and their conversation took place…

Ramen-eating-kitsune: hey raven! Whacha doing?

Black-raven: nothing much, just packing.

Ramen-eating-kitsune: hey! Pouts* no 'hello' or 'hey' or 'good afternoon, kitsune'? I feel hurt…oh packing for what? Are you moving?

Black-raven: Hn, you should know by now I don't say stupid greetings, dobe. I talking to you should be a privilege in itself. Smirks* I'm transferring schools. I'm supposed to be there soon.

Ramen-eating-kitsune: TEME! Huh, so your school starts soon but you haven't packed your bags? Tsk, tsk, tsk. You're a bastard AND you're irresponsible! Hey I'm transferring schools too!

Black-raven: Hn, good for you, dobe. Now you don't have to come crying to me to comfort you when the bullies come after you. You can make new friends and my load will lessen.

Ramen-eating-kitsune: …you really are a big, mean, TEME!

Naruto stopped chatting for a while and looked to his door that was creaking open. A brown ponytail popped out of the small crack followed by a tan, scarred face. The man smiled broadly at the blonde laying down on the bed.

"Hey Naruto, are you ready to go?" the man known as Iruka asked.

"Yup! I'll meet you outside I need to say bye to raven."

"I'll put your bags in the car ok? Don't take too long or you'll miss your flight." He replied, carrying the aforementioned bags out the door.

Ramen-eating-kitsune: hey teme I gtg. We'll chat when I land k? BYE~

Naruto signed out of msn not bothering to wait for the raven's reply. As he said before, he never waste his energy saying greetings. Hurrying to the door, Naruto cast one more look around his room. His intention was more to check that he hadn't missed anything than to take in the features of his 'home'. He had waited so long for this day to finally escape his hell. It's time to start a new school, a new responsibility and a new life.

_After landing_

"Finally, my legs were beginning to go numb from lack of movement."

Naruto took a good look at his surroundings comparing it to his old one. The vast difference is definitely pleasing for the blonde. Back in his old 'home' he thought the buildings were more like colorful prisons. Being too modernized, most of the plantations were wiped out to make room for civilization to settle in like shopping centers and condominiums. He never felt safe being there and would always have to find ways to hide his ever obvious presence. He could never blend in because he felt he didn't belong there and he was never good at being conspicuous being the clumsy idiot that he was. The dull colors that surrounded him made him feel empty inside and a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. He never liked venturing out of his personal room fearing danger and bullies lurking in every corner he set his eyes on. That place made him paranoid and he was glad to finally be rid of it.

Compared to that hell, this place gave off a certain atmosphere of calmness and peace. Everywhere he looked, plants of all kinds could be seen varying in height and thickness. The greenery made the air clean and refreshing to breathe in. The buildings though old, had more structure and creativeness built into it, giving it more shape that varies from one building to another. Everything is unique here and the people go about their way, enjoying life and not bothering about him unlike the ugly stares he often received before. Here he could blend in and be the Naruto he always had been meaning to show the world. He wasn't feeling paranoid anymore and he could go about his way without bullies attacking him suddenly from a hidden corner he failed to avoid.

Feeling a lot more energized now he made his way to the side of the roads to flag a taxi. The busy roads go on and on so the blonde doubted he could walk to the academy. He didn't even know the bus that could take him there so public transport is a no go. Besides, he couldn't possibly bring all his suitcases into the bus or train could he. He would take up loads of space that will prevent other commuters from boarding. See he is a considerate person isn't he!

A taxi stopped right in front of the furiously waving blonde. The cab driver got out of the vehicle and helped Naruto place his bags in the boot. Once that was done, they quickly sat in their seats not wanting to cause a traffic jam.

"Where are you headed to?" the cab driver asked politely and Naruto felt shocked at his treatment. Normally the driver won't even stop for him let alone _ask _for directions. Getting over the shock, he answered just as politely.

"Um do you know the way to gatekeepers' academy?"

"Of course I do. It's hard to miss such a building even if it is concealed behind all that greenery. The infrastructure of the thing is fantastic! It could be counted as one of the wonders of the world."

"Naruto felt elated that he could talk to people here easily as talking to Iruka. He was beginning to like this place more and more. He didn't mind calling it home now. _'Home…finally I have a place to call my own. Maybe being a gatekeeper isn't so bad after all.' _ He snuggled back into his seat, looking out at the scenery as it whizzed by. He felt comfortable and smiled a grateful smile for the first in a long time.

A few minutes passed by and soon the taxi was headed into a forest. How they managed to built a road in here no one knows. This place seems to be magical in its own way. The trees swayed in the light breeze and the flowers that littered the forest floor ranged from many vibrant colors that looked magical. They grew along the road and some grew in bunches on tree stumps, sucking the nutrients from it. On the forest canopy, Naruto could see animals of all kinds with wide curious eyes staring at the moving metal. He had to hold in a laugh at seeing their faces. He felt surprised though that they didn't run in fear. Instead they looked tame and ever courageous as they stood in the trees they call home to gaze down intently at the fast moving vehicle. Some of them followed the taxi, flying through the air or swinging on vines as thick as a snake. They never came too close though and just watch the metal move from a far. Soon they stopped following and Naruto began to wonder why.

He looked ahead and saw the answer to his question. Up ahead, he glimpsed many tall buildings with unique designs printed on them. The designs somehow took the form of elements like fire, water, earth etc (1) that vampires were acquainted with. Towers stuck up here and there with the school's flag flapping in the wind on top. The school looked like the one from the harry potter movie minus the odd but cool looking gargoyle statues and teeth-like structures that could always be found on the roof of castles. The many buildings were connected by bridges and pathways that were lined with flowers of vibrant colors that could be seen from where he was seating in the back of the cab. When the sun rays danced upon the beautiful petals, they looked to be swaying as though thanking it for its life giving warmth and light. The blond wouldn't be surprised if they glowed in the night seeing as they soaked up so much light.

The cab came to a stop a distance away from the entrance of the school that was made up of a marble looking archway. He felt confused as to why the cab didn't drop him off at the school's doorstep instead that is situated within the archway big enough for the taxi to drive through. He had loads of suitcases to carry and he was not going to haul all of it at one go by himself to the big double doors still many meters away.

"This is as far as I can drive you. You'll see why in a minute." The cab driver got out of the vehicle and started bringing the many aforementioned suitcases out of the boot.

Naruto got out of the cab too and took out his money to pay the driver. He was still curious to know why he hadn't driven him all the way inside so he asked, "Why can't you drive all the way in?"

Instead of answering the blond directly, the cab driver simply walked to the front of the archway and raised his hand. He placed it within the entranceway and soon what was once an invisible wall appeared. Naruto stared in wonder at the crystal-like barrier that looked to be protecting the school.

"That's why. Normal people can't get through. Only the likes of you can. You're a vampire right?" again the cab driver had spoken in a manner that meant no harm. He respected the other race it seemed and felt no fear towards them. After all, humans, demons and vampires are very similar if they actually bothered to look beyond the cool powers and abnormal abilities and such.

Naruto simply nodded and gave the driver a small smile. He liked the way this driver could be open-minded to his race. It made him wonder if everyone here is like that. This new place really is a wonder and a big improvement to his old 'home'. He hauled his suitcases- one in one hand and his daypack on his shoulders- to the archway. He took a deep breath and stepped through the crystal protector and pulled his suitcases along. Looking over his shoulder he saw the driver waved him good bye and a faint good luck could be heard through the thick barrier.

Looking up at the looming structure of the school, Naruto felt so small being in the presence of such an infrastructure that in his opinion really should be considered a wonder of the world. He took in the massive stone that made the skeleton of the building and felt awed that this place seemed to be in many ways, ancient.

The double doors of the school became closer with each step the blond took. Now he knew he had no way to back down from his destiny. He needed to give it all he's got for whatever awaits him inside those double doors. The time for Uzumaki Naruto to change his life has finally come and with the way it had looked till now, his life had definitely taken a turn for the better. _'Watch out gatekeepers'_ _in training, Uzumaki Naruto is in the school!'_

(1) They're the elements in Naruto. You know fire, water, earth, lightning etc.

AN: yay! another chp is done! I rather like my descriptions of the school don't you think so? It makes me wish a school like that does exist so I can enroll myself there. Gives a dreamy sigh* ok back to reality, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed typing it. Eyes review button* heheh~ XD


	3. Chapter 3

**Creatures of the night**

**Chapter three**

Quiet chatter drifted lazily to Naruto as he stepped foot into the castle cum school. The blond swept his gaze all around him and he couldn't help the excited laugh from bubbling out of him. Vampires of all ages flitted about in groups or pairs as they travelled from one area of the school to another. None of them paid any attention to him as he walked further into the school, dragging his many luggage along. _'This time I won't screw up.'_

Spotting a friendly pinkette talking excitedly to her blonde companion, Naruto walked up to them. They seemed so immersed in their chatter that they hardly notice Naruto coming up to them. So it was no surprise when they startled and twisted their gaze to glare at the blond accusingly. Naruto ignored their cold gaze and smiled politely in return.

"Hi I'm new and I was wondering if you could tell me where I'm supposed to head to," he said.

"Oh sorry you startled us so…um I think you're supposed to go to the school's auditorium. Right Sakura?" the blonde girl with ice blue eyes gave an apologetic smile. Naruto nodded as a gesture that said 'apology accepted.'

"Yup just walk all the way to the end of this corridor and you'll come to a staircase. Take them to the third level. The auditorium should be swarming with new vamps by now so you shouldn't miss it. Welcome to Gatekeeper academy!" the energetic pinkette said with bright green eyes that hid nothing of her soul.

Naruto nodded his thanks and did as instructed. He climbed the long flights of stairs two at a time unmindful to the heavy luggage banging at his hip while humming a familiar tune. He couldn't help the bright smile that stretched across his face as he thought about the girls that were kind enough to him. No scornful looks, no biting insults but smiles and kindness. Already he could feel he liked this school. However his happiness was shot down when he barreled into someone at the last step.

"Watch where you're going dobe!" an angered raven glared down at the hurting blond. Naruto looked up into dark furious eyes and chose to keep the scathing remark at the tip of his tongue unsaid. He simply sat where he fell on his butt and soothed his bruised derriere. Without anything else said the pale skinned raven with dark eyes walked away to the direction he thought was the auditorium. _'He must be new too if he is going to the audi.' _He carefully stood, mindful of his hurting butt, and righted his fallen luggage. He followed the raven all the while thinking that he already made an enemy on his first day of school.

He lost sight of the raven however when he stood by the opening of the auditorium. The huge room was packed with new vampires around Naruto's age. All around were moving bodies of new vampires with their suitcases or schoolbags in hand. Most of them were getting acquainted with their new schoolmates while others simply leaned on the walls of the room choosing to be unsociable. The self-conscious blond chose to stand by the wall he was shoved into when someone complained that he was blocking the doorway. Planting his not-so-sore-anymore butt on his largest suitcase he observed his surroundings partially hidden in shadows.

*~o0o~*

Rounds of applause erupted from the cohort of new vampires when the principal of the school walked on stage. She looked no older than in her late twenties with her long blonde hair tied into two low pigtails by the nape of her neck and curvaceous body. Her fringe framed her small but stern looking face and her light brown eyes seemed to analyse every vampire seated before her in the auditorium. Everyone knew that she looked younger than she was supposed to look because vampires age at one-fifth to human age. She stepped up to the podium and welcomed them all. She introduced herself as Tsunade then continued on her speech. Most of them listened attentively when she gave her welcoming speech but there were others like Naruto who stared into space while schooling their features to look like they care but really didn't.

Naruto almost dozed off when he heard that they were moving to the hall for their sorting cum welcoming ceremony. He grudgingly stood and left his luggage where they were because the principal had instructed that they could retrieve them later. He followed the line of other vampire students and kept his head down to avoid looking at anyone. Silently the cohort moved to the great hall.

Upon entering the hall loud applause and cheers from the older students greeted them. Naruto looked up only to squeeze his eyes shut again at the blinding light from the ceiling. He looked around and found no one shying away from it. He looked again carefully this time to gaze at the perfect sunny sky. Only then did he notice a thin layer of something that kept most of the heat and hurtful rays out. They resemble the tinted windows of a car. Naruto looked ahead this time to find that they had walked to the front of the hall. In front of them was a stand on which an ostrich egg-shaped crystal sat precariously on red cushions. The crystal looked to be giving out light of its own, its glow falling on the stern features of the principal. Only then did Naruto notice the thick sheets of paper she had in hand. She held it up to her face.

"When I call your name, you will come forth," than she gestured to the crystal, "you will place your hands on this egg, and you will be sorted into your elements. Akimichi Chouji."

A boy who was twice the size of Naruto came up with quivering steps. He faced the rest of the school before putting trembling hands on the egg. They all waited with bated breath. The crystal which had been a clear colour was now emitting a kind of green light. The boy named Chouji seemed to ease his trembling and stared mesmerised at it. Slowly the glowing diminished and Tsunade told Chouji to take his place with his housemates. Everyone watched as he calmly walked to the far end of the hall where a long green table, that stretched from one end of the hall to the other, sat with many welcoming seniors, clapping for Chouji as he made his way to them. At the end of the table draped a flag of some kind with a kind of big rain tree embroidered on it. Underneath that was the word "Earth" stitched on the flag too.

"Hyuuga Hinata."

A small petite girl walked up more scared than Chouji was. She did the same thing as he did and the crystal shined a green colour again. She too made her way to the green table, where the seniors welcomed her with opened arms. One even hugged her and she sat next to him. The senior that hugged her looked suspiciously like her, pale lavender eyes, pale skin and long flowy hair. The only difference was that while she had dark hair, the other had light brown that was tied at the end with a ribbon. Choosing not to dwell too much on it, Naruto faced front again.

"Inuzuka Kiba."

The said boy jerked as his name was called and he seemed to suck in a breath before he walked on stage. Lifting his hands to the crystal egg he waited. The white light from the crystal seemed to dim and turned to a sea blue. The light reflected the waves crashing onto shore, rippling around him. The light darkened the red tattoos on each of his cheeks. He strolled to the loud cheering blue "Water" table with a wide smile that showed off his longer than normal fangs.

"Nara Shikamaru."

The boy named Shikamaru trudged up stage with a bored expression on his face. Even the way he lifted his arms lazily spoke volumes of how troublesome the action was for him. Naruto chuckled softly at the not so subtle glare Tsunade gave him. She obviously didn't like the way he treated this ceremony. The egg disrupted her glare however when it shined green like Chouji and Hinata's. He walked down to the black table to another round of thunderous applause. All through his walk he seemed indifferent at the open welcome he received. Naruto however caught the small upturn of his lips and turned back to the front.

"Sabaku no Gaara."

Naruto rubbed his eyes before looking back to the tall, pale red head. He was riding on sand up the stage stairs! The blond openly gaped and gauged the other occupants' reactions to this. Nobody seemed as shocked to see this happening. He frowned then but paid attention to the red haired, green eyed boy named Gaara. He did what all the other vampires did and the crystal shined the same green as the big boy and petite girl before him. Again. He glided again to his respective table with an air of indifference. _'There're a lot of Earth vampire aren't there,'_ Naruto thought.

"Uchiha Sasuke."

The same person that had ruined Naruto's good mood before walked on stage elegantly. Every female in their cohort had hearts in their eyes as he walked on and stood peering down at the egg with an aura of superiority around him. Naruto swore he heard multiple sighs behind him he suspected came from the other female vampires excluding the teachers and principal. He gave a snort as he thought _'he isn't so great.'_ The egg gave off an amber colour, casting his face and hands in its light. Sasuke walked off and went to his table and sat next to an older version of him. _'Most probably someone related.'_ That particular table had a flag which had a blazing fire imprinted on it with the words "Fire".

"Uzumaki Naruto."

The blond jerked where he stood and looked up with a startled gasp. The others who surrounded him laughed at his shock and he frowned and glared at the floor before pushing himself out of the crowd he stood in. He had been studying the pale skinned raven and his relative when his name was called. Obviously he would be surprised. There was no reason to think that the others were laughing at him for different reasons.

He walked on stage with a mixture of curiosity, fear and awe as he studied the egg up close. From afar the egg looked dazzling but up close it was mesmerising. He could stand there all day and watch the swirling colours in it mix together at a rapid speed to form the bright untainted white it gave off. He snapped out of his trance when the principal coughed in her hand as a gesture that said 'hurry up brat'. He placed his hands delicately on the egg, not wanting to break it, and waited. He pulled his hand away almost immediately however and yelped when the egg started vibrating softly and it glowed a white so brilliant it looked silver, then changed to amber, then gray before fading off to a pale yellow, then green before deepening to a sea blue, then further deepening to a midnight black. The ever changing light only shined brighter as time passed and many had to cover their eyes or squint to get a better look at what was happening. It diminished in a grand show of rainbows stretching to the ground only to dissolve as soon as it touched the floor. Naruto rubbed his eyes furiously to gain back his sense of sight after that fabulous display of light and blushed when he saw every ones' eye on him. Some were in awe while others were in distaste.

Naruto turned to the voice of the principal behind him, "Naruto please follow Iruka-sensei to my office." With a silent gulp he followed behind his father figure to the aforementioned office with dread sinking lower, lower and lower still, in his gut every step of the way.

*~o0o~*

AN: Well that's that and a new chapter is done. How long has it been since I last updated I wonder… hope you like it and to all my readers out there I thank you for your patience. Love the reviews so far tooXD it made me feel damn guilty for making you wait so long for an update, but still puts a smile on my face. Good news is that I finally finished my last school year and I graduated so I can update more regularly. Now I'm waiting for my O-level results. Pray for me ok ;) I hope I did well. If I did, it will boost my creativity and I'll update faster!


	4. Chapter 4

**AN:** OMG I just realised my story had a flaw! Hmmm…someone pointed out that Iruka worked at both Crescent boarding school-CBS and Gatekeepers' academy-GKA. I'm sorry if I made you confused *Bows*. It totally slipped my mind that I made Iruka a teacher at CBS. Mmm maybe you can look at it this way. Iruka is Naruto's father figure right, and he is very protective of Naruto right, so he quit his job to follow Naruto to GKA and teach there. So Iruka works at GKA now not CBS. I'm too lazy to change the previous chapters. Thank you Evil Angel4 ~

**Creatures of the night**

**Chapter four**

***~o0o~***

"Hey Iruka," a subdued blonde greeted the kind faced man with uncertainty in his eyes. After that shocking display of bright light and the unexpected reactions of everyone in the hall, Naruto knew that he was in trouble. '_All I did was touch the egg. Did I stare at it too long? Maybe it doesn't like me too…'_ before Naruto went further with his depressing and untrue thought, Iruka cut in.

"Hey Naru, I see you made it here okay. The flight made you queasy or anything?" Iruka asked in a soft voice which warmed Naruto's heart. This assured him that he was not in trouble, yet. The blond looked at the tanned man with his bright sky blue eyes that had the man smiling at him pleasantly. They always got that reaction out of him no matter what. When the teen cried, laughed, set the puppy-dog look on him, whatever, those eyes always made the largest and hardest impact on him.

Naruto shook his head in the negative to answer the man's question. He felt compelled to hug him just then to show him how grateful he was for such an understanding and kind 'father'. The blond knew that Iruka had quit his job at Crescent boarding school to follow him here. He was _that_ protective of him. He knew people like him were hard to come by so he planned on holding onto Iruka-sensei for a long time.

Just then, the principal, Tsunade came in. Naruto straightened his back and the previous feeling of dread came back in full force. He faced her with a determined expression. If he was to be expelled or suspended or something he was going to take it like a real vampire! His breath escaped in a rush when Tsunade fixed him with a stare of wonder and adoration however. A look of confusion flashed across his face before he schooled his features back to one of calm. He simply looked to Iruka for an explanation. Iruka shook his head. He was not suitable to explain such a complex situation to Naruto. He'll leave the explanation to Tsunade.

"It's been so long since a young-one is able to have even the slightest of control over most of the elements, and here there is a brat who was born naturally with the ability to manipulate all elements according to his will. I'm impressed Naruto," the principal gave a soft smile and dipped her head a little to show that he has gained her respect. Iruka beamed with pride by the blond's side. Naruto was glad to have been able to sway people to his side but he was still confused. His confusion was clearly shown on his face so Tsunade broke it down for him, chuckling and teasing him for being slow. He pouted.

Once every twelve years a new gate keeper was elected to maintain the balance of light and dark, hence the keeper needs to have perfect control and balance. To achieve that level of control he/she needs to be able to master all elements perfectly. It normally takes a graduated vampire twelve years to achieve that balance, however not all the graduates will be qualified to be gate keepers even if they can see 'the path' because their sense of control can only reach so far.

However, once every century a young-one (young vampire), will be born with the ability to 'see' and the natural affinity for all elements. Normally these young-ones are identified at birth by their parents and taken away to train and grow somewhere else where they won't attract attention to themselves. Demons and other fallen vampires will be tempted to slay them to disrupt the balance if they feel threatened by their flashy powers. Since Naruto was orphaned at such a young age, it was not surprising that they only knew about him now.

Naruto's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates after that explanation. '_I am that powerful?' _He brought his hands up to his face, inspecting them as though it was the first time he saw them. Flexing his fingers, he turned his hands back and front, his eyes tracing the veins that pop up when he flexed a certain way. His blood carried immense power that he never knew before. He could have lived a different life. A life full of happiness where people wanted to know him, respected him for who he was and treated him like how he always sought to be treated by others at Crescent school. As a friend, a precious person to others, their escape from pain. He closed his eyes and was surprised to feel his cheeks becoming wet. Slowly he became aware of how his body trembled from all the pent up sadness he kept inside for all these years. He buried his face into the familiar scent of Iruka's jacket when he felt his hands embrace him. Naruto's killer grip on the brunette would have hurt a normal person but since Iruka was a vampire, he let it be. Naruto needed him now.

*~o0o~*

After the embarrassing water works –in Naruto's opinion –he made his way to the hall to retrieve his belongings and from there to his tower to find his dorm. Since he could manipulate all sorts of elements he could choose where he wanted to be since this is the first time a young-one of his ability has enrolled here. He had chosen to stay at the fire tower since it was the furthest tower from the castle-of-a-school. They feared that when the fire benders get too hotheaded, they might burn up the place. So if it's built by itself then only that tower will be burned to the ground before the fire spreads. Naruto wasn't scared of getting burned since he had it worst before. He was more satisfied that he could enjoy the long walk to his dorm to feel as though he was journeying to someplace faraway, his escape from reality in other words.

Looking up to the number on the door, he smiled when he found his dorm room. He unlocked it and almost jumped a mile high when he saw a shirtless guy in his room. Almost, since Tsunade told him he would have a roommate. He calmed his rapidly beating heart however when he looked at his face it started up again. _It was the raven haired bastard who knocked into him that morning!_

"Hn aren't you the rumoured young-one that could manipulate all the elements," he said it in a silky smooth voice, not that Naruto noticed.

Naruto nodded with a tightly closed lip, fearing what might come out of them if he answered verbally. '_I think he forgot our morning encounter. Asshole!' _the blond thought heatedly. He turned to the only other unoccupied bed in the room and dumped his belongings next to it before flopping onto the bed. He ignored the soft _'doesn't seem like much' _from the other occupant in the room and logged onto his msn. He smiled when he saw his friend online.

Ramen-eating-kitsune: Hey Raven!

*~o0o~*

Uchiha Sasuke was about to look for his t-shirt after he showered when the door to his room opened. In the doorway revealed the shocked young-one that everyone was talking about. He recognised him as the idiot that bumped into him that morning but he wasn't going to acknowledge that. He will acknowledge that he was the once-every-century-young-one that will most probably be the next gate keeper after he graduates. He didn't want to be gate keeper anyway. All he wanted was to surpass his brother. He stared at the blond making his way to his bed and was unimpressed by the exaggerated flopping the idiot did. He hadn't meant for his soft comment to come out though when he turned to the other it seemed he didn't hear it. A loud _dun dun dun! _sounded from his inactive laptop however after the sound the screen flashed brightly. He walked quickly to it anticipation in his stomach and a smirk graced his lips when he saw the conversation.

It read, **Ramen-eating-kitsune: Hey Raven!**

He sat at his desk, still shirtless, and continued the conversation.

**Black-Raven: Where are you?**

**Ramen-eating-kitsune: Man! Again without greetings! Me?**

**Black-Raven: Shouldn't you be used to me not saying hi by now? No the idiot next to you, of course you! Who else am I talking to?**

**Ramen-eating-kitsune: SORRY! A guy like you is obviously popular so I thought you typed into the wrong conversation. HeeheeXD Anyway I thought I told you I would be going to school. Don't you remember?**

**Black-Raven: …guess I forgot.**

**Ramen-eating-kitsune: OMG the almighty raven forgets! What is the world coming to? HAHAHAHAHXD**

**Black-raven: shut up dobe. Which school are you at?**

**Ramen-eating-kitsune: …remember that time I told you I'm a vampire? Well I just so happen to be one of those lucky few who could 'see'. I'm at Gate keeper's academy (:**

**Black-raven: Really? I am too. What dorm are you in?**

**Ramen-eating-kitsune: NO WAY! THAT IS DAMN COOL! I'm in the fire dorm (: You? No wait let me guess! You have got to be in ice since you're a cold bastard with an icicle lodged up your ass! Hahah am I right?**

**Black-raven: …personality has nothing to do with your element so no I am not in ice. There isn't even an ice dorm you idiot. I'm in fire too dobe. I thought I told you I could manipulate fire since I was a toddler.**

**Ramen-eating-kitsune: CHE! It could be one of the factors! And yes I know that there is no ice dorm. I was just testing ya hahahah. ARE YOU SERIOUS? Hahah what a twist of fate! What room are you in? Oops…guess I forgot. Heehee~**

**Black-raven: Room 03-03. Hn, you forget all the time.**

**Ramen-eating-kitsune: HEY! YOU TEME! Hold on let me check mine…**

*~o0o~*

Even though he unlocked the door a few moments ago, having seen a half-naked roommate in your room would have shocked the number right out of Naruto's head. Plus Naruto being forgetful as ever would not be able to remember it at all so instead of torturing his brain, he rolled over onto his back and searched his pockets. He took out the golden key with a ball of fire engraved on the handle and looked at the attached unit number. His eyes bulged when he saw the exact same number on his key as on his iPhone screen. His head kept going back and forth between the objects. Key, iPhone, key, iPhone, 03-03, 03-03! He turned to the still shirtless raven and said in a shaky voice, "Raven?"

The raven haired teen, who had been patiently waiting for his reply and ignoring the sounds of rustling from behind him, whipped his head back to Naruto and stared at him uncertainly. After a while he opened his mouth to speak, "Kitsune?"

Blue locked with onyx with no thought of looking away.

**AN: I am so sorry for the damn late update and I know many of you would be like 'Fuck this story. I don't think it's ever gonna be updated ever again' and delete it from your alert. No amount of apology can be made for how sorry I am for making those of you who still believe I will update wait patiently for damn long. Hope this chapter compensates for that. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Title: Creatures of the night**

**Rating: M**

**Disclaimer: Characters are not mine.**

**~o0o~**

**Chapter 5**

**And so we meet**

'_Man this is so boring! Why can't we just skip the theory and just jump in to practical? I'm a kinaesthetic learner anyway so I'll learn better if I'm doing it not hearing how it works! Seirously!'_ Uzumaki Naruto was currently trying his very best to pay attention to the annoyingly, condescending voice of his teacher who was showing them the basics of manipulating elements. Ebisu-sensei was rumoured to be a pervert but he always denies it when confronted. It made him the joker in school so many students chose not to listen to him especially in class. Naruto was really tempted to join his more mischievous classmates, who were seated right in front of him, in planning out a prank they could play on him. He knew he could be of help to them in planning out the best prank ever since he was a master prankster himself. However he knew Iruka would be disappointed in him for not paying attention in class. He really wished that he had gotten him as a teacher instead of this closet pervert.

Another reason he couldn't join in the fun was because he didn't know how to manipulate any of his elements. He was alone as a child until Iruka 'adopted' him and took care of him. He hadn't known he was a vampire until he got his letter. He didn't have any parents to teach him manipulation, not even Iruka because he couldn't manipulate any. Naruto thought he didn't have any too until now. He really missed out a lot in life, he realised.

When he heard loud snickering right in front of him he snapped out of his musings and listened in on their conversation. _'It's far more interesting than the gibberish Ebisu-pervert is spouting.' _

"We can put superglue on his chair during break when no one is around. He won't be able to get out of it once he sits on it. Hahahah I wish I'll be in his next class to see his face!" Naruto frowned when he heard them whispering. Their pranks are a little childish. Maybe he should take them under his wing, train them to be super pranksters. He spoke up.

"Your pranks are a little childish don't you think?" he hadn't meant for his words to sound condescending. _'Ebisu-pervert is rubbing off on me already...'_

"Mind your own busine –" the boy in front of him halted. Naruto recognised him from the ceremony. Inuzuka Kiba if he wasn't mistaken.

"You're the young-one who has an affinity for all the elements right? Uzumaki Naruto or something," the boy seated next to Kiba spoke up, his voice slightly bored. Naruto knew him as Nara Shikamaru. He had been at the ceremony too.

Naruto nodded. He was used to people recognising his name now everywhere he goes. He had always been the centre of attraction since childhood. It used to be about his blood but now it was because of his power. He felt weird but in a good way that people weren't treating him badly anymore.

"I'll let you in on a secret. I am a master prankster first, powerful vampire second. I can help you with your pranks if you want," Naruto grinned and offered his hand.

Kiba, upon hearing that the powerful vampire was just like any other teenage vampire who loved pulling pranks, opened up to him immediately. He was glad the other wasn't as intimidating as he had first thought. He shook hands and turned around in his seat to talk better to the blond.

Shikamaru was just glad he could return to sleeping. Kiba had just forced him into the troublesome planning because he heard he was smart. He knew the blond wasn't anyone to be feared at all from the moment he saw him.

Unfortunately when Kiba had turned his chair around it made a loud screeching noise which attracted majority of the class's attention. Ebisu-sensei glared behind his sunglasses and turned to the noise. He spotted the blond and smirked evilly.

"Well, well, well it looks like we have a celebrity in our class today. Uzumaki Naruto just because you are powerful doesn't give you the right to interrupt my class. Stand up," he made an up gesture with his hand and Naruto felt himself being pulled up from his seat. He yelped when he was forced to stand and he almost fell when he felt the invisible thing no longer supporting him. He glared at the teacher, his sky blue eyes narrowing and shining in anger.

"What the hell was that for? I didn't do anything!" the blond's outburst was backed up by Kiba.

"Ya it was me who made that noise," Kiba stood to take away the attention from Naruto, his eyes narrowed in a glare as well. He didn't like what the teacher had done to the blond. He also didn't like other's taking the fall for him when he was in the wrong. He was forced into his seat however when he felt a weight in him. He looked up at Ebisu-sensei and saw his right hand pointing to the ground. Obviously he had manipulated something. He growled. He also didn't like being played with.

"Be quiet Inuzuka I was talking to the blond behind you," Ebisu-sensei didn't appear to regret any of his actions. He seemed to be having fun instead. The class had confusion painted all over their faces. They sensed something wrong happening.

"Come Uzumaki you can demonstrate whatever I had been teaching today," with that Naruto felt his body being pulled from his seat and to the front of the class. He screamed and tried to resist the influence the whole way. Unfortunately, his body was no longer his to control. When he was beside the teacher he was so fucking tempted to punch him in the face but he still couldn't control majority of his body. His head seemed to be the only thing untouched. He growled to show his displeasure.

"Um sensei, are you sure you can do that to a student?" the small and soft voice of Hyuuga Hinata floated to the front of class. She was feeling sorry for the blond and wanted to stop what was happening. Unfortunately she was too timid to do anything attention seeking. The rest of class was getting uneasy at the direction this was headed.

Ebisu turned towards his fidgeting class. He didn't seem to feel the tension in the air. He spoke over all the quiet murmurings. Naruto was beginning to resist even more.

"Now who can tell me which element I can manipulate?" he looked around superiorly. When a hand was raised he turned to it.

"You manipulate water. I'm guessing you're manipulating the water in his body," a girl with a pom-pom hairstyle spoke up, she was glaring a bit. She had a friend who came from a clan of water manipulators. Some vampires in her friend's family could even manipulate the blood in people's blood stream. However she didn't think Ebisu-sensei could manipulate blood yet. His hold on the blond was slipping as time passed.

"Very good Moegi, as I would expected from someone who pays attention in class. Now, let's get on with today's lesson. So as you can see it takes concentration and effort to manipulate your elements. One needs to have perfect balance to summon their element to them. If one doesn't have balance the element will not obey," Ebisu was gritting his teeth by the end of the sentence, making his explanation hard to understand. His hold on Naruto was slipping greatly. He was struggling and resisting too much.

Naruto was fed up. He was not a puppet that dances in front of class for the teacher's enjoyment. He was sure this kind of punishment wasn't allowed. He was struggling to death, his face red from exertion. He was so close to _snapping!_

"Let go of me pervert! You're not allowed to do this to a student anyway," Naruto was really close to screaming his lungs out and tearing. He bit his lip to stave them off. He didn't want to show weakness in front of so many people, especially this bastard of a teacher. He finally thought he had left his pitiable and miserable past behind back at his old 'home.' Reality had a funny way of biting you in the ass. It seemed like no matter how far he ran, he could never escape his cruel fate. He would always be the victim of bully. It made him so fucking sick and tired.

"Have respect for a teacher! Stop resisting! I can do this if it's for educational purposes," Ebisu was perspiring from his own exertion. If only the blond would _hold still_.

"Gaaah! Stop lying you pervert! I didn't consent to being a puppet!"

The loud echoing sound of a "slap" made the whole classroom deathly silent. Only Ebisu's heavy breathing could be heard. At least Naruto was still and silent now. He tightened his hold on him.

Naruto was stunned into silence when he had been slapped with his own hand. His face was still tilted to the side, immobile.

"Hmph. Someone like you shouldn't even be here. Your blood is too tainted. So what if you have power. In my trained eyes you can't even wield it, demon," and with that Naruto finally snapped.

Ebisu was pushed back when he felt gushing winds hit him full on till he hit hard on the opposite wall. He was close to blacking out but he was pulled back to reality when he was lifted and slammed into the ground. He groaned in pain. He tried to stand up but the winds kept weighing him down. He felt like he was fighting gravity!

Some students in class screamed when the teacher was flung and they scrambled out of their desk to plaster themselves onto the walls near the exits. They didn't dare run out; they were too scared to take their eyes off the scene. They stared, unblinking as their teacher suffered.

Naruto didn't know what he was doing. As far as he was concerned, this asshole needed to pay. He was sick and tired of letting the bullies do whatever they want. He knew he had the power to fight back now, so that's what he'll do. His eyes bled red then. Some students had turned their attention to the blond and their expressions were a cross between horrified and awe. They were horrified at the destruction he's done and awed at the amount of power he wielded.

Ebisu was still pressed painfully to the floor with no chance of getting up. He was too tired to manipulate anything, let alone fight back. He could feel his bones getting crushed. At least he knew for sure that because of this, the blond would be expelled. That was his savouring thought before he blacked out completely.

"Naruto-kun please stop!" Hinata who had her eyes trained on the teacher saw him give in to unconsciousness. With that she finally snapped out of her fear. Their teacher was going to die if the blond don't stop.

Naruto heard the anguish cry and he snapped out of his trance. His eyes cleared and he looked at the chaos he caused. He let go of himself and fell to his knees, a horrified expression on his face. _'What have I done?'_ he had only wanted to pay the teacher back for all the hurt and humiliation, not kill him. The tears that were held back since just now flowed freely down his face. He looked up at all his classmates. He saw the fear and the horror in their eyes. Unable to stand it, he fled from the room, leaving all the chaos behind.

**~o0o~**

"Sigh," Tsunade stood next to the infirmary bed on which laid Ebisu-sensei. Should he even be a teacher anymore after what he's done? She was in a dilemma. The blond should be expelled after losing control like that. He could be a danger to the students. However she knew it was not wise to let a young-one that powerful and untrained loose. He needs to gain more knowledge of how to be a gatekeeper. Ebisu on the other hand needs to be sacked. He had no right to control a young-one without concession even if it's for educational purposes. However according to many eyewitnesses in class, it wasn't even for that. The only thing holding her back was that she had no one else to replace him. The other teachers were occupied enough with the upper levels.

Tsunade returned to her office. _'If only he was here.'_

**~o0o~**

Sasuke returned to his shared room after a tiring and draining first day of school to a weeping blond, curled up under his blankets. He had heard the incident of what happened that morning from his classmate. Tales spread really fast in a school full of gossiping, insensitive idiots. He wished he had been there when it happened to confirm which parts were made up, because the story he had been told was too exaggerated, and stop the blond so he won't end up regretting his actions. Unfortunately he wasn't in the same class as Naruto.

He looked to the blond, visibly shaking and still weeping under his comforter. He wanted to go over to comfort him like all the other times when he had comforted the blond online. He didn't know if it would be taken well. After all they weren't hiding their identities anymore.

_Blue locked with onyx with no thought of looking away. It was incredibly funny to find each other in this way, just pushed together like this without warning. Naruto's eyes were threatening to bulge out of his sockets. All of his secrets, his hardships, and his true self were shared with this guy right in front of him. He just couldn't believe it. He didn't know what to say. "Thanks for always being there?" that sounded weird to him. _

_Sasuke was in shock but he didn't let it leak onto his features. Inside however he was cursing fate and her scheming ways while thinking of something to break the awkward silence. He didn't like the tenseness in the room. He opened his mouth to say something but it wasn't his voice that pierced the silence._

"_Thanks," Naruto decided to go with just that. It's better than ringing silence._

_Sasuke sensed he knew what the blond meant so he just nodded his head and said, "Someone needed to be there for you to vent out your stress. I just happened to be the one."_

_Naruto laughed. At least they could still joke around. He turned blue eyes to his friend –he wanted to believe they were friends –and looked him over, taking in the pale skin, dark eyes and hair for the second time that day. _

"_Funny, I expected you to be more kindly looking with all your mushy words of comfort. You look like a typical emo," Naruto grinned good naturedly._

_Sasuke scoffed before saying, "Hn I expected you to be covered in bruises and weak looking with you constant beatings," Sasuke smirked. He looked the blond over and didn't see any visible bruises. He was healthy looking actually._

_Naruto pouted but then grinned and said, "I'm invincible! I heal really fast. Hahah it's really funny I can see you smirk in real life now instead of imagining it through my phone." He waved his phone he still held in front of him._

_Sasuke told him in turn that it was annoying to hear him laugh all the time instead of skipping them when he read through online. He dodged a pillow aimed at his head. The two continued sharing stories like how their flight here had been and other vampire stuff. However both felt that they were still not quite comfortable sharing so openly as before. They were too guarded to tell them upfront. Telling them through a screen had been much easier because you can't see the other judge you. _

Deciding to just follow his instincts, he neared the blond's bed and sat on it, mindful of the blond. He started talking about his day to fill in the silence. Naruto had started to calm after hearing the raven comforting him in his own way. He was glad his face was covered by the blanket. He was really embarrassed now. He felt like a child! Slowly he started pulling the covers down. He looked at the raven. He wasn't looking at him but the opposite wall. He probably didn't want to embarrass him further and Naruto was grateful for that. He simply listened while letting his tears dry.

Sasuke heard the rustling of sheets but didn't want to look. He could sense the other's embarrassment and discomfort so he looked at the wall in front of him instead. He continued talking, about how he felt about the school and actually wanting to skip theory and just jump straight to practical. Naruto spoke up then, ignoring his raspy voice. He wanted to do that too. He was more of a just-do-it kind of learner. They were more alike than they thought. They continued talking, filling the silence, putting the incident behind them.

**~o0o~**

**AN: Whoa it's been like...a year I think since I last updated this. Hahahah ooops ^/^ heehee~ don't be mad cos I haven't abandoned it and don't think I ever will C: Thanks for being patient. I know you probably wanna hit me now huhXP so tell me your thoughts on this chp and I'll see u real soon *winks***


	6. Chapter 6

**Title: Creatures of the night **

**Rating: M**

**Disclaimer: Characters are not mine.**

**AN: OMG I just notice something really cool. You know the elements in Naruto and how certain ninja's have an affinity for different elements? I think it's based on their zodiac signs =) Like you know Sasuke is a Leo and they have an affinity for fire. That's why he can use fire ninjutsu really well. Naruto is a Libra and they have an affinity for air which is maybe why he has wind chakra. Heehee anyone else think so too? So because of that I've changed their elements back in chp 3.**

**Chouji is now an earth element user so is Hinata, Shikamaru and Gaara. **

**Kiba is a water manipulator.**

**Sasuke remains a fire manipulator.**

**Naruto remains a young-one who can manipulate all elements but his more favourable affinity is wind.**

**Hope you don't get confused. If you do just ask=)**

**~o0o~**

**Chapter 6**

**Classes are in session**

"Naruto you're doing it wrong," Uzumaki Naruto was currently sitting Indian style on his bed trying to summon wind to him like how he did that day in class when Ebisu-pervert antagonised him. His best friend and roommate –yes he can call the raven haired his best friend –Uchiha Sasuke was seated on his own bed opposite from the blond's. He had been trying for an hour to get the blond to bend wind to his will but unfortunately he couldn't do it. That's one of the disadvantages of starting to learn element manipulation really late. Most of the vampires in the academy already knew their affinity and had been training since they were toddlers to manipulate their element. Naruto didn't get that opportunity because he never knew he could manipulate any. So now the raven, being the good friend that he was, was doing his very best to help the blond with the basics.

It was currently ten in the morning and the two should have been in class but because of the blond's slip up the other day, class was halted till they found a new teacher for his class. Ebisu was fired and Naruto had mixed feelings about that. He was partly glad the pervert was fired because then he won't have to see him anymore. He was also partly guilty because he had hurt the teacher really badly. He comforted himself by thinking that it was an accident and that the pervert shouldn't have provoked him like that.

It was only for their year though. All the upper years continued with school as per normal. However the year ones' could have self training in the school's many training grounds. They were open for anyone to use at all times of the day.

"Urgh I can't summon it anymore. Why can't I do it like before? I remembered the class looked like it had been hit by a hurricane after I snapped out of it. So not fair," Naruto crossed his arms in front of his chest and refused to admit he was pouting. Pouting was for girls anyway and he was no girl. He had been trying for an hour now to get the wind to obey him but it didn't want to. He didn't know why. He was doing exactly as the raven thought him to, at least he hoped so. He looked up into exasperated yet amused eyes.

Sasuke could admit in his head that he was having fun watching the blond suffer. Yes he knew he was one sadistic bastard but who cares. He decided to rile the blond up a bit more by snapping his fingers and calling fire to him. Easy as pie. He played with the mini fireball in his hand, tossing it up and down like he would a real ball. He watched as the blond's eyes were trained on it. He could easily see the amazement and jealousy in them.

"You're not focused enough. Plus you're forcing yourself to manipulate it. You need to relax and let wind come to you and not the other way around," Sasuke was still bouncing the ball in his palm. It was really amusing and, dare he admit it, cute when the blond's eyes would follow its movement. It reminded him of a cat zeroing in on its prey.

"That's easy for you to say. You had loads of practice before this so it's still not fair," the blond finally tore his gaze away from the enchanting ball of fire in the raven's palm to look at his own hands. He flexed them, getting them to relax and concentrated on his breathing. He was going try again. He closed his eyes and pictured a weighing scale in his head. On one side it weighed his spiritual state. The other weighed his physical state. He tried to get them balanced.

Sasuke watched silently, his eyes trained on the other's face. He could see the other's eyes roving around behind closed eyelids. As he watched he couldn't help noticing that the other's face looked completely relaxed. Naruto trusted him enough to close his eyes. Before, he had just stared at his palm, willing wind to swirl in it. Now he sat unguarded before him. It was a real improvement to when they first met. They no longer felt awkward. He could silently admit that he was happy. He preferred the blond not watching apprehensively as though the raven was going to spill out all his secrets to the world. He preferred the blond not treating him like all the bullies in his past.

Naruto waited patiently for the scale in his mind to balance itself. He concentrated on his breathing, making sure it stabilised. When the weighing scale he pictured finally balanced, he opened his eyes. He almost jerked back and lost his balance he had so painstakingly waited for the right moment for when a pair of onyx eyes stared unblinkingly at him. He relaxed when he realised it was just Sasuke and not someone else. He trusted him now. He looked to his palm. Unfurling his fingers he looked at the various lines on his palm and concentrated on one. He waited again.

Sasuke felt the minute increase in temperature after the blond locked eyes with him within his body but didn't let the blood flow to his cheeks. After he had looked away he felt the noticeable drop in temperature surrounding him. He felt a soft breeze playing with his hair and looked back to Naruto's face. It was the epitome of concentration. His sky blue eyes squinted and his eyebrows furrowed. His nose was scrunched and his landed and stayed at his tongue that peeked out minutely at the corner of his mouth. He didn't notice the wind picking up.

Naruto was doing his best not to let his success inflate his ego and distract him. He was determined to summon a mini ball of wind just like Sasuke's ball of fire. He never took his eyes off his palm so he didn't see or feel the heated gaze directed at his face. _'Just a little more.' _The ball was already the size of a tennis ball. Soon it would fill his whole hand. It was growing steadily by the second.

When the ball of wind stabilised at the size of a softball, Naruto stopped summoning and looked accomplished at his creation. He beamed up at Sasuke who snapped out of his staring enough to look at what the blond managed to do. He smirked and felt pride bubbling up in him. He didn't admit it out loud though. The blond didn't need a bigger ego.

"Look Sasuke! Heehee I did it," Naruto's eyes shined in delight and he was happily bouncing the ball up and down just like the raven did to his previously. It was easier to maintain the ball than he thought once he had the element's complete submission.

Sasuke snapped his fingers again and his ball of fire came back. It diminished when the wind picked up and he was too entranced by the blond's mouth to concentrate on maintaining it. _'Snap out of it Sasuke.'_

"Now that you have its permission to continue summoning it you can do lots more than this small ball," the raven demonstrated by using his other hand that wasn't holding the ball to shape shift the ball into other forms. Naruto stared awed like a kid watching a magic show. He swore he saw the fire ball crackle like electricity at one time.

"Of course you don't need to learn how to shape shift into various shapes like what I'm doing but you can shape shift them to become weapons you can use to attack or defend. Like a wind shield, for example. Some vampires have an affinity for more than one element but not all like you. I can control lightning a bit but it's not as powerful as fire yet," he explained while still playing.

Naruto contemplated the question he wanted to ask then just asked it, "Sasuke you treat the elements like it's a living thing. Is it?"

Sasuke stopped playing for a while to look at the blond's earnest eyes. he was genuinely curious. He nodded his head then.

"I've always felt like the elements had a mind of their own so to speak but not actually living things. It makes sense when they don't listen to the summoner. They choose who they want to obey," he shrugged then continued, "That's what I feel anyway. It's not definite."

Naruto nodded. What Sasuke said makes sense to him. He was able to summon wind to him when he was more in control of himself. He guessed the elements needed a wielder who knows what exactly to do with it. He stopped his musings when he was hit on the head and his ball of wind disappeared. He looked up at Sasuke with pouty lips.

"What did you do that for?"

"Stop thinking unnecessary things," he stood up and walked to the door.

Naruto was confused, "Where are you going?"

"We're going to the training grounds," with that he opened it and walked out, leaving the door ajar. Naruto sat dumbfounded for a while before retrieving his set of keys, running to the door, closing and locking it behind him before calling after the slowly walking raven.

"Wait up teme!"

**~o0o~**

"Oh yeah! Who's the king of drop ball? I'M THE KING OF DROP BALL! WHOOO!" Kiba was jumping around cheering for himself unmindful of the disbelieving looks from his friends. He loved being himself. Not only does he have killer good looks but he had awesome powers that kick ass when he plays drop ball. Of course these are all his opinions. His fallen friends may think otherwise.

"Troublesome," Shikamaru was lying on the ground, enjoying his favourite pastime –cloud watching –while thinking. He was rudely brought back to reality when the loudmouth mutt began howling his victory at the top of his lungs. It didn't help when his pet and partner, Akamaru, started barking along. He could feel a headache coming on.

Hinata didn't mind the loudness. She thought Kiba was funny when he kept jumping around, up and down like a little child. The way Akamaru played with his master and partner was sweet too. She continued to watch the overjoyed young-one with a fond smile on her face as she slowly got up from the ground. She was one of the losers in the game.

Aburame Shino kept silent. No one knew how he was reacting to his lost because he wore a high collared shirt and a hoodie which covered majority of his face. It didn't help that he wore sunglasses which made it difficult to read his eyes.

Chouji just munched away at his chips. He didn't mind that he lost. He was just glad his chips didn't get crushed during the game. It would have been a waste and not as good to eat them like that.

Gaara was annoyed at the loudness and Kiba's boasting but he wasn't a sore loser so he kept quiet and let Kiba have his victory. If he got too noisy he could always just throw him a sand ball. He was making sand surround him to block out the noise Kiba was making right now so it was tolerable.

"Hm? Hey guys look it's Naruto! Hey come here," Kiba waved his hand trying to get the attention of the raven and the blond that just entered the training area. Naruto was surprised that they were calling him over after witnessing what he did the other in class. He thought they would stay clear of him from now on. He was glad he seemed to be wrong.

"Hello Naruto-kun. Did you come here to train?" Naruto had just realised what a small and soft voice Hinata had. He wondered how such a delicate sound managed to reach him in the loudly whistling gust he summoned. The others had started coming towards them when they were alerted of his presence, including Shikamaru although he complained it was troublesome the whole way.

"Ya I came here to train with Sasuke-teme," Naruto grinned, ignoring the not-so-threatening glare sent his way by the said raven. Hinata, Shikamaru and Kiba weren't in the same class as the Uchiha so they were only getting to know him. They exchanged names. Shino, Chouji and Gaara were in his class and knew who he was so they simply nodded or waved in greeting.

"Hey that's cool can we see you train? I really want to see how a young-one like you manipulates all the elements," Kiba had stars in his eyes from the excitement. Naruto felt bad because the shining was going to dim soon.

"Sorry Kiba but I can't manipulate them yet," he looked to Sasuke and scratched the back of his neck in a sheepish/embarrassed manner. He went on to say that he didn't have anyone to teach him how to manipulate them until now so that's why he wanted to train. The other's simply nodded in understanding. They didn't need to know why the blond didn't have anyone to teach him yet. They felt that Naruto would tell them when he was ready.

"Well we can help you with that. We have a bunch of different users here to teach you how to manipulate various elements," Kiba's enthusiasm didn't seem to die out.

Naruto was glad he had managed to make new and trustworthy friends. It made him feel like he was wanted, which was a feeling he had long since forgotten. He felt it with Iruka too but he was an adult. It wasn't the same as having friends the same age as him. He grinned and got hyped up for training.

Sasuke was watching the interaction with a passive face. He had hoped for the training grounds to be empty but he guessed it was too much to hope for. He had wanted to be the one to train the blond for some reason which he felt made sense because he knew how to control elements fairly well. He guessed that the others were tolerable enough for him and he was fine with just teaching the blond to control fire. He was the only fire user here anyway. At least his fan girls were not in sight.

"Naruto you can start with manipulating earth," Chouji spoke up for the first time and even put away his chips. He walked to the centre of the clearing together with Hinata and the red headed Gaara. Shikamaru chose to stay where he was, the lazy genius.

**~o0o~**

Uchiha Itachi was listening intently to his teacher talk when he felt a tremble. He looked towards the training grounds and was shocked, though he didn't let it show on his face, to see a large hill there. He had heard that the year ones' were having a short impromptu holiday from his younger brother. They were still allowed to train though and he guessed that was what someone was doing. He wondered who was powerful enough to summon that, although he had a really strong hunch he knew exactly who. He had quite a few earth friends and he knew they would be jealous when he told them someone from year one could manipulate earth a lot better than they ever could.

He smirked internally. He loved making others miserable.

**~o0o~**

Neji, Tenten and Lee were getting ready to change venues for class when the trio felt a tremor. They knew that the year ones' were not having lessons at the moment because Naruto –yes they knew who he was, who wouldn't –had accidentally created havoc in one of his class when he lost control. They turned their attention to the training grounds and Tenten almost fell when she saw a mini mountain. Lee was exclaiming something about youthful year ones' who had magnificent power while Neji looked bored. She wasn't fooled though. He saw awe in his eyes.

"Well, who do you think made that? I didn't think there were year ones powerful enough to summon that. This year is going to be interesting don't you think?" Tenten mused aloud, waiting for a reply.

Neji nodded his agreement, choosing to stay silent. Lee was already giving a list of earth manipulators who he thinks may have done that.

In their minds they already knew of only one young-one who could do that.

**~o0o~**

Yamanaka Ino and Haruno Sakura were screaming and holding onto each other when they felt a tremor and a saw a giant hill from the toilet windows. They already knew the situation with the year ones and suspected this doing was from a group or possibly one of them. They were secretly awed and proud to have powerful juniors to take care of. They were from the care givers group in school anyway. It was their job to ensure the year ones felt at home living here from now on.

They smiled knowing this year's year ones would be the most eventful batch in decades.

**~o0o~**

"Man! I thought Chouji said an ant hill not a mountain, Naruto," Kiba was looking in awe at the towering block of earth right in front of him. His neck was getting sore from looking at the top too long. He finally brought his gaze to the stunned blond and stood up from where he had fallen when the earth was shaking so bad.

Naruto hadn't meant to summon such a huge thing. He didn't know he had so much power to spare. He laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of his head when disbelieving and awed eyes turned to him. He suspected even the students back in school could see and feel what they were doing out here.

Hinata, Chouji and Gaara who were out in the centre with Naruto felt accomplished when the blond managed to manipulate earth like they taught him. It may not have been the correct size but practise makes perfect. They slowly got up from the ground and Hinata even hugged the blond for his success. Chouji gave him a pat on the back and Gaara simply nodded his approval.

"At least he didn't make a giant crater. It would have been troublesome to climb out of it," Shikamaru didn't bother getting up from his position on the ground. He continued sky gazing.

Sasuke was shaking his head, making sure he didn't injure himself during his fall. He was again feeling pride bubbling in his stomach and he didn't hesitate this time to show the blond. Naruto froze when he locked gazes with Sasuke and saw the unguarded pride in them. He felt the pit of his stomach bubbling in happiness. _'Sasuke was proud of me.' _He didn't know why that was so important at the moment but he didn't care. He would bask in his success right now. He deserved it.

All afternoon, the group took turns teaching Naruto elemental manipulation and he was slowly improving. He had managed to summon water and created a river surrounding the hill he made previously and a small lake when Kiba taught him water manipulation. He managed to improve the lake to become an outdoor hot spring when Sasuke taught him fire manipulation. Shino helped him improve on his wind techniques and he was glad to discover it was the easiest one out of the others he's tried to summon.

When they all lay on the grass, tired after an afternoon of fruitful training, Naruto finally commented, "Guess they can't this a training ground anymore because I think the new landscape is permanent." They laughed and finally moved indoors to wash up and hang out for dinner.

**~o0o~**

**AN: Well told you I'll see you soon but unfortunately I have bad news. School starts tomorrow so I won't be able to update as regularly as I would have liked. I'm sorry. I just hope that you readers can be patient till the next update. Thanks for reading~ **


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